Has anyone had any interviews at the University of Utah? Just curious about the interview questions!😀
utah interviews
- Thread starter PVD123
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Hey. My interview at "the U" was the most intense interview I've had (out of like 10 interviews), but really thorough and interesting questions were asked. the faculty member made up his own questions mostly but I felt his "if you could spend the day with 3 people who would they be?" was canned and asked by everyone. Just say something consistent with your application and interesting. They also all ask what your strengths and weaknesses are, so think about that. My student interviewer was so weird--he was slouching, chewing on a pen the whole time and kept taking off his shoes with his feet--he would be silent then ask a question like "tell me about your commitment to humanity...." "what did you leeaaarrrnnnn from that experience?" and he gave me some rediculous clinical situation that didnt make sense and asked what my concerns were for the family and the patient. i was exhausted after both. on the tour, everytime you walk by a window they point out the huntsman cancer institute (like 25 times)--it is a nice building, i worked there during a summer, and it has a gourmet cafateria on the top floor, so check it out if you get a chance. unfortunately (for me at least), everyone there is mormon and most are married with families (this is not discriminatory, it's just very dificult to socialize and be comfortable when you're not a part of the unique and exclusionist utah mormon culture, and people with families tyo go home to dont really want to be your friend--i actually felt like i was on mars). so be ready for a tough interview, utah really cares about doing its best in picking applicats and they really pick everyone's brain in the interview.
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I interviewed last year, and Utah was my first. At the time, I thought it had gone well, most the questions didn't strike me as unusual (tell me about your research projects, what are some difficult situations you've had to overcome, etc.). The student interviewer was particularly intense; I don't know quite how to describe it, perhaps condescending is the right word. The faculty interviewer asked me almost nothing, just kept saying that he didn't know what he should be asking me, since my application seemed pretty complete to him.
Anyway, I didn't get in (nor wait-listed) and have spent some time trying to figure that out. I wondered if the faculty interviewer was purposefully not saying anything to see what I wanted to talk about, but my thought on being interviewed is that you ought to follow the lead of the interviewer. Since he wasn't saying anything, I didn't know what to do. As far as the student interviewer, I suppose I just didn't satisfy him, and so I got a negative review. Whatever.
They may have changed some of their admissions policies this year, since the assistant dean of admissions has changed, but unlike nighttrain, I didn't ever get the feeling that they were trying to get the "best" students that they could. In fact, the old asst. dean of admissions prided herself on selecting a student body based on its diversity (and when your applicant pool is primarily white mormon kids from Utah, as nighttrain accurately points out, it's hard to find a lot of diversity). Consequently, a number of hightly qualified individuals are invited to interview to be considerate, but the school has no intention of actually admitting them. (This is obviously my opinion, but I have enough anecdotal evidence to be convinced that this is the case.)
Anyway, good luck. If you happen to be a URM, you should have no problem. If you're a Utah native, white, male, LDS, seriously consider your backup options (and don't count on outstanding academic success to get you in: 3 of 3 people that I know of with MCATs of 38-40 have been rejected at the U, but accepted just about everywhere else).
P.S. You might think, oh he's just embittered because they didn't like him. I'll admit that I might be, a little. But I'll also say that even before I put my application in, I wasn't hopeful about getting in at the U, because I didn't play their game. I put that aside and applied anyway, and felt like I did well in the interview, despite my preconceived notions. Again, good luck.
P.P.S. sorry about the obscene length of this post.
Anyway, I didn't get in (nor wait-listed) and have spent some time trying to figure that out. I wondered if the faculty interviewer was purposefully not saying anything to see what I wanted to talk about, but my thought on being interviewed is that you ought to follow the lead of the interviewer. Since he wasn't saying anything, I didn't know what to do. As far as the student interviewer, I suppose I just didn't satisfy him, and so I got a negative review. Whatever.
They may have changed some of their admissions policies this year, since the assistant dean of admissions has changed, but unlike nighttrain, I didn't ever get the feeling that they were trying to get the "best" students that they could. In fact, the old asst. dean of admissions prided herself on selecting a student body based on its diversity (and when your applicant pool is primarily white mormon kids from Utah, as nighttrain accurately points out, it's hard to find a lot of diversity). Consequently, a number of hightly qualified individuals are invited to interview to be considerate, but the school has no intention of actually admitting them. (This is obviously my opinion, but I have enough anecdotal evidence to be convinced that this is the case.)
Anyway, good luck. If you happen to be a URM, you should have no problem. If you're a Utah native, white, male, LDS, seriously consider your backup options (and don't count on outstanding academic success to get you in: 3 of 3 people that I know of with MCATs of 38-40 have been rejected at the U, but accepted just about everywhere else).
P.S. You might think, oh he's just embittered because they didn't like him. I'll admit that I might be, a little. But I'll also say that even before I put my application in, I wasn't hopeful about getting in at the U, because I didn't play their game. I put that aside and applied anyway, and felt like I did well in the interview, despite my preconceived notions. Again, good luck.
P.P.S. sorry about the obscene length of this post.
I interviewed at the U in October and was accepted 2 months later. Also I am white but not LDS, not that they would have known that latter part anyways.
What the dean said is that they want people who have the capacity to be compassionate, committed doctors. In the past they admitted people with high numbers and got a lot of complaints about their performance in the wards.
I had MCATs percentiles in the high nineties but I also did a large amount of unique volunteering I think you need something like that to stand out
I would say my interview at the U was pretty intense. Lots of hard ethical questions, policy questions. Just stay calm and don't blurt out the first thing that comes to your mind. I was also surprised that my interviewer was somewhat argumentative.
I think the U is really popular because a lot of white mormon males want to stay in Utah close to their families and possibly have children.
What the dean said is that they want people who have the capacity to be compassionate, committed doctors. In the past they admitted people with high numbers and got a lot of complaints about their performance in the wards.
I had MCATs percentiles in the high nineties but I also did a large amount of unique volunteering I think you need something like that to stand out
I would say my interview at the U was pretty intense. Lots of hard ethical questions, policy questions. Just stay calm and don't blurt out the first thing that comes to your mind. I was also surprised that my interviewer was somewhat argumentative.
I think the U is really popular because a lot of white mormon males want to stay in Utah close to their families and possibly have children.
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Thanks for your sweeping stereotyping. Reflects great insight, ethics, and compassion. Quote from a U of U Med. School faculty member: "The students here are compassionate and can sit down and talk to the patients, but can't figure out what the hell is wrong with them."
